Earlier in the day, Trudeau and his oldest son Xavier paid tribute to the victims of mass atrocities in Ukraine, visiting several memorials dedicated to Ukrainians who were killed by the Nazis and Soviets.
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On a visit to Kiev, Trudeau also announced $13 million in new humanitarian aid for Ukraine and an increase in the number of Canadian observers for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the eastern Donbass region.
A key message throughout the visit will be Canada’s enduring support for Ukraine, particularly after Russian Federation seized Crimea following Yanukovych’s ouster and started supporting separatist rebels in the east of the country. The new agreement aims to develop economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Trudeau will take a break from the commemorations to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and sign the free trade agreement.
Trudeau received a rapturous welcome in Kiev with Ukraine rolling out a red carpet for Trudeau at the welcome ceremony outside Poroshenko’s office in central Kiev.
Ukraine’s main exports to Canada are copper wares, mineral fuel, oil and refining products, ferrous metals, nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and fertilizers.
The trade deal isn’t the biggest for either country.
“We will stand with our North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners, and push on, as you’ve seen, our friends and partners to continue to be steadfast in support of Ukraine”, he said.
And with Trudeau just committed troops to a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation mission in Latvia, in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine – Canada is seen as both a pivotal and personal ally for Ukraine.
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